Summer is in full swing, and nothing says summertime like a fun-filled day at the beach. When you visit the beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, there are just a few beach-usage rules to keep in mind: Keep off the dunes, vegetation and bird nesting areas. It may be tempting to walk up on the dunes for a photo op with those gorgeous sea oats, but please, please, please . . . resist. Our sand dunes and beach vegetation [...]
The Leave No Footprints policy in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach is based on the seven Leave No Trace principles. The Leave No Trace program encourages everyone to enjoy and explore the outdoors while leaving minimal impact on the environment. Since we all want to preserve our beautiful beaches for generations to come, let’s take a look at how these principles apply when visiting our beaches along the Alabama Gulf Coast. 1) Plan ahead. The best beach day starts before you [...]
Trying to decide when to plan your next trip to the beach? Plan your visit to the Alabama Gulf Coast during the Alabama Coastal Cleanup and join a 32-year tradition of giving back at the beach! Always the 3rd Saturday in September, this year’s gathering of helping hands is September 21, 2019, from 8 a.m. to noon. About the event The Alabama Coastal Cleanup, held on International Coastal Cleanup Day, is an incredible opportunity to come together and care for [...]
As we approach the busy seasons along the Gulf Coast, our shores can get even more overloaded with debris and trash. Some of this is due to carelessness of individuals; other debris may be coming back ashore after a storm. Our beaches are a gift and something we should strive to clean. The City of Orange Beach is doing what it can to address marine debris and waterborne trash. This pilot program, launched in 2014, is the Waterways and Shoreline [...]
We want to give a big shout-out to the thousands of volunteers who converged at check-in sites across South Alabama on Sept. 16 for the 30th year of the Alabama Coastal Cleanup. It’s an incredible effort by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, municipalities, business sponsors and volunteers to keep our coastal areas and waterways clean. Organizers partnered with TerraCycle and Thompson Engineering to include recycling in this year’s cleanup. Volunteers received two bags - one for trash, [...]
Those plants with the large plumes you see along the beach may look like weeds, but they are a vital part of the ecosystem. Sea oats play an important role in coastal conservation. That’s why signs are posted along the beach asking you to avoid areas where there is plant vegetation or a dunes restoration project. Sea oats are actually a miraculous little production plant, and there’s a whole lot more going on than those plumes you see on the [...]
